The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-05-21
Mexican Notes.

which adioins the State of Mexico on the
south. 1t is reached by a railway eighty
miles in seven hours-which climbs out of
the valley eastward, and then runs south
and west, making an almost exact half
circle to its destination. In Mexico the
railways must run where the mountains
permit.
The first part of the way lies over the
fat plain, through the chinan,pas, or little
patches of truck gardens, over narrow
canals and bitches, through overhowed
ground with tufts of marsh grass, and be-
tween the two lakes The whole region is
alive with teal ducks, which rise from the
lagoon and whirl away in focks as the train
passes. On the slightly elevated roads
donkeys laden with vegetables (the patient
beast which witty woman calls ''the short
and simple animal of the poo" }, Indian
women, also bent to their burdens, short,
with fiat faces, brown legs, small feet, and
small hands-the aristocracy of the soil
and Mexican laborers in ragged serapes and
broad straw hats, file along toward the city.
Soon abrupt elevations in the plain are
reached, picturesque heights with churches,
and the foot hills are entered. The jour
ney grows more interesting as we ascend,
the adobe villages have more foreign
character, and the mixed population be-
comes more picturesque in costume and
habits. The train is made up of first,
second, and third class cars. The Mexican
men in the frst-class, yellow halfbreeds,
are gorgeous in array, wearing enormous
and heavy high crowned, broad brimmed
hats, loaded with silver and gold bullion,
trousers braided down the seams or thick
sewn with coins or buttons of silver, every
man with a pistol ostentatiously strapped
on his waist, and many of them carrying
guns. These gentlemen are going to hunt
at some hacienda in the hills, and at the
stations where they alight there is great
scurrying about, getting into rickety car
riages, mounting heavily caparisoned little
horses, which fidget and curvet. There is
an amusing air of bravado about it all.
The third class cars have four parallel
benches running from end to end, and are
packed with motley throng-Indian-
looking Mexican women in blue ribosas,
plenty of children and babies, men in soil
ed serapes and big hats, everybody eating
some odd mess. At all the stations the
train makes a long halt, and the sides of
the cars swarm with hucksters, mostly
women and boys, offering the sapotas and
other tasteless fruits, tdnsaleS and other in
describable edibles, ices (favored and color
ed snow, pink drinks family savored with
lines, and pulque. The tanpat is favorite
composite all over the republic. 1t con-
sists of chopped meat, tomatoes, and chile
rolled in tortilla. The tortilla, perhaps
it is necessary to say, the almost universal
country substitute for bread, is cake made
of maize, and about the size of large
buckwheat cake Its manufacture is one
of the chief occupations of the women. In
almost every but and garden one can hear
the grinding and the patting of the tortilla
Seated on the ground, the woman has be-
side her dish OF soaking grains OF maze
In front OF her Is curved stone' ana upon
this she mashes the maze with sVone roi-
ler held In both hands until IL Is paste.
This paste she mouids and skilfulIy pats
into shape' ana lays upon piece Vi snTet ~
IRON 10 Dake over cnarcoal nre Ioo
often II Is IKE hphralni- CAKE "o'
turned. ,---.
AT and before we reacneu Aniecaneca'
an elevation OF over o,ooo ieel' 1ne . Twin
snow mountains rose III vie"' anu t,eio-
after iorded 1t over the landscape IN an our
winding way From Amecameca Ine as
cent OF foppcaIepe'l Is uSualiy maui as, .Lo ano
the cone SHOWS very granny m acro1s t4I
FaVlne from us eieya'lou' rms 10 'ne WI
iage oil sacred snri1es anu nooio ssioves'
much resorteu To ny Pi.si!ns alu 1A0ui
sionists, AT 6dn tne sacred Iesllval IN nay 'S
many as 4o'ooV Worshippers assemble neIe' i
AT Ozumpa' wnere tne ROAD psSl1s 70 cue Ge-
scend, we preaSIastea very wen !or my
cents, In rude snanty' on egg, rice' oeel-
steak, three or four other xmas OF meats
and steWs, sweets pulques' anu piacN ooi-
fee The pulque Is Dest IN these nig1 re-
glons. 1t Is ylscous mlik-Wnlte n9iu,
very wholesome and SUSTAINING ana woai9
be most agreeable drink IT II tasted
good. In fact it tastes, .hen 1t mas Deen
a few days termented, IKE mixture OF
buttermilk and sour cider. But many
strangers become very fond OF 1t; Inc
older 1t grows the more Intoxicating
it is. As the reader knows, probably,
it is drawn from the maguey plant
called by us the century, which grows
on these elevations to great slze' and
is the eleanest-hmbed and most vigoro
GUS and wholesome-looking product OF
the region. When It natures 1t shoots up
a stout spike ten or twenty feet high from
the centre, bearing brilliant orange MOVERS
When the plant IS ready to tap, the centre
stalk is cut out, and the sap collects In the
cup thus formed. 1t is dipped out, or
sucked out by tube, and when nrst drawn
is mild, cool and refreshing In about
three days it begins to ferment As 1t Is
often carried to market on the backs OF
natives in pig or goat skins, 1t gets a dlsa-
gFeeable flavor, The masrey plant mas
many uses, 1t is eaten cut up and pre-
served like melon rinds. Its long tough
fibre is very extensively used in making